EUGENE -- Oregon wrapped up its fourth spring practice Monday afternoon, and here are some quick hits from today's action:

-- Oregon basketball senior point guard Johnathan Loyd has apparently joined the football team and will use a loophole that allows players to play a fifth year in a new sport. (Remember when Greg Paulus, the former Duke point guard, did it at Syracuse?) Loyd is committed to playing this fall at wide receiver and Oregon sports information director Andy McNamara wrote via Twitter that he would wear No. 10. That number used to belong to backup quarterback Damion Hobbs, who will now wear No. 2.

Loyd played point guard for Oregon basketball the past four seasons and was Dana Altman's first recruit at UO after a standout career at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High, where he became an all-state football returner after only his senior season. He also played cornerback. In 2009, he helped Gorman win the Nevada state championship and scored five on five punt returns.

-- Defensive line coach Ron Aiken said the first-team unit along the d-line has included Alex Balducci, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, as expected.

"For right now," he cautioned. Aiken added he plans on mixing players from the first- and second-team units more often as spring ball goes on to increase the competition and familiarity.

-- Marcus Mariota exited practice last Monday, saying he spent the 30 minutes or so after practice ended to work on under-center exchanges. He said the extra work was done with his "future" in mind, but asked if fans might see Mariota under center this fall, rather than his typical shotgun, the junior quarterback was coy.

"We'll see," Mariota said. "I wouldn't mind that."

Mariota also spoke about the possibility of unionization in college sports but said he felt the cost of his education was enough.

"A lot of guys are graduating this spring," Mariota said. "To get that degree, I wouldn't say it's priceless, but it fulfills what we need."

-- Kenny Bassett and Ayele Ford are running backs by position, but they've shown extra value this spring by their pass-catching out of the backfield. Running backs coach Gary Campbell said they've been the best at receiving out of the backfield, a key skill this offseason with the departure of De'Anthony Thomas, who often filled that role in his three seasons.